When King Richard I (Richard Coeur de Lion) was imprisoned by
Leopold of Austria, who handed him over to the Emperor Henry VI in 1194 after
the failure of the third Crusade, he needed 150,000 marks to pay for his ransom.
In order to raise it he handed over North Curry, alongside other possessions, to
the Bishop of Wells, in return for an advance of cash. A Charter of King Richard
I in 1189 gives the hundred of Northcuri to the Church of St Andrew Wells and
Reginald Bishop of Bath. In 1242 Bishop Joscelin presented the Dean and Chapter
of Wells Cathedral with the Manor and Hundred of North Curry and they became
responsible for its administration. The hundred was sub-divided into tythings,
each under a reeve. Within North Curry were the tything hamlets of Knapp,
Lillesdon, Wrantage, Hillend (Helland), Newport and Moordon (Moredon). Newport
was an ancient borough with privileges and a chapel.

On 10th September 1206 a Charter of King John confirmed the
grant made by King Richard I and also granted a market for cattle, sheep and
horses at Northcuri every Wednesday. Later a grant was made for the market to be
exchanged for another market every Tuesday and a yearly fair, known as the
Llammas Fair, for three days starting on 1st August. North Curry was noted as a
favourite hunting ground of King John. During the King’s summer visits to
North Curry it was customary for one of the tenants to superintend the haymaking
in the kingesmeade in white gloves and with a white rod in his hand. King John
is also popularly credited with having instituted what was to become known as
the Reeve’s Feast. A large tablet in the
church details this custom.

Local manor courts were held in the village and were presided
over by the steward and one of the canons of Wells Cathedral. The steward, canon
and his servants and horses were accommodated at the expense of the village. Two
courts were held in North Curry for the hearing of petty offences. The Court
Leet for petty criminal offences, and the Court Baron for the hearing of petty
civil offences. Tenancy reversions, disputes about land, digging of ditches,
repair of buildings, nuisances and the building of houses without permission
etc. were heard and judged with fines and punishments imposed. Quarterly courts
were held in Taunton for more serious crimes. There was a prison in North Curry
in 1597. All property in North Curry was leased to tenants for their life with
that property reverting to others at their death with the local court granting
the new holding.

North Curry continued to prosper and from the
16th Century this was
manifested in the building of some substantial houses. These included Lillesdon
Court (right) and Manor Farm (belowleft) (present day names), both 16th Century stone houses,
together with many fine
timbered houses scattered through North Curry, Knapp, Wrantage and Newport.
The
prosperity of the time is generally attributed to the wool trade. Many old
farmhouses still remain unaltered internally and three or four important houses
in Knapp confirm the importance of that area when goods and services were
transported along the River Tone. Many houses were sited on main trackways, and
later within reach of the canal or other routes of transportation. North Curry
village however was always a busy trading centre with the early market and the
services and trades that served a very independent self-supporting village
and much housing is evidence of that prosperity. Almost every architectural style
since the 16th Century is found in North Curry, some hidden behind re-modelled exteriors.
A quarry in Knapp and another near Moredon probably provided much of the
material for building. There was also a sawmill at Knapp. Today there are 68
Listed Buildings in North Curry.

In 1790 a notice was published declaring the 1st August
Llammas Fair would be held in future on the first Tuesday in September … for
the sale of fat and lean cattle, sheep and horses by butchers and horsedealers
and the inhabitants of the village will endeavour to get a good shew of every
kind …. The fair was held in the centre of the village and the stock lined up
around the village green. The sheep were penned in the Shambles and some of the
stones in Church Road (formerly The Pavement) are reputed to be the remains of
the pens. The fair lasted two days, one for business and one for pleasure, and on
these days customers were expected to pay all taxes and doctors accounts, and
labourers were hired. Gingerbread and sweet stalls were set up round the square.

The Dean and Chapter of Wells continued to be the
administrators of North Curry until 1866 when all North Curry property was
handed over to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners who then became Lords of the
Manor. It was only then that the tenants were allowed to become possessors of
freeholds. The Manor included the present civil parishes of Stoke St Gregory and
West Hatch and remained in the possession of the Dean and Chapter of Wells who
are still patrons of the living after more than 760 years.

For more information on the history of
North Curry why not buy a copy of "North Curry - A Place in History"
by Angela Dix. For details go to
http://www.dixuk.com.